


A Quiet Morning

by iam93percentstardust



Series: Starkbucks Bingo 2020 [14]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, POV Outsider, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iam93percentstardust/pseuds/iam93percentstardust
Summary: Natasha figures it out on a Saturday. She hasn't known up to this point what brought Bucky and Tony together but she figures it out on a quiet morning
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Starkbucks Bingo 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772419
Comments: 22
Kudos: 345
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020





	A Quiet Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angxlsgrxce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angxlsgrxce/gifts).



> Title: A Quiet Morning  
> Collaborator Name: iam93percentstardust  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894605  
> Square Filled: O3 - Thirst  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Winteriron  
> Rating: G  
> Major Tags & Triggers: Outsider POV  
> Word Count: 750 words

Natasha figures it out on a Saturday.

The team had had a mission yesterday, a long, hard one that had ended with Sam having two broken ribs, Clint needing a new bow, and the Iron Man suit completely out of commission for the foreseeable future—or until Tony could build a new one. Most of the team, exhausted and aching after the battle, had dragged themselves off to bed when they got back early this morning.

In typical fashion, however, Tony hadn’t. Tony had taken Sam’s broken wings and the pieces of Clint’s shattered bow and dragged himself off to the workshop, looking as tired as the rest of them felt. It’s a _thing_ for Tony, Natasha knows, that he feels like he has to take care of his team, that he doesn’t want them feeling vulnerable any longer than they absolutely have to. She knows it causes him anxiety to think that his team is out there with what he considers to be subpar SHIELD-issued equipment. It’s why she had stopped Steve from insisting on Tony going to bed instead of to the workshop, even though she knows Tony hasn’t slept more than a couple hours in the last few days.

It had surprised her though when Bucky had followed Tony back into the elevator. She knows they’ve gotten close since he showed up at the tower six months ago but she hadn’t realized they were close enough for Bucky to know about Tony’s post-mission workshop binge. She hadn’t heard him come back upstairs either and _that_ had surprised her just as much as him going down to the workshop in the first place had.

She’s alone in the kitchen the next morning, sipping her tea calmly as the sun rises over the city. It’s a Saturday so even if it hadn’t been post-mission, none of the rest of the team would be up. Steve and Sam, usually up at the crack of dawn to go running, always take Saturdays off and everyone else likes to sleep in.

Or, that’s what she thinks until she hears the ding of the elevator doors opening. Bucky heads into the kitchen, looking a little more rested than he did last night but not by much. He heads straight for the coffeepot and starts brewing a new pot without even acknowledging her with a nod.

Natasha raises an eyebrow. Bucky doesn’t even _drink_ coffee.

The elevator dings again and then a _very_ sleepy Tony stumbles in, makes a beeline straight for Bucky, and faceplants directly into his back.

Natasha’s other eyebrow shoots up to join the first.

“Oof,” Bucky grunts and twists just enough to see Tony. “Thought you were still working on the new arrows?”

“You disappeared,” Tony mumbles. He sounds plaintive, punctuated by him rubbing his forehead across Bucky’s back.

“You said you were thirsty.”

“So?”

“So,” Bucky says gently, turning around fully so he can pull Tony into a hug. Natasha gets the sudden feeling that this isn’t something she’s not supposed to see. “You’re out of coffee in the lab. I was making you more.”

Tony grumbles inaudibly and Bucky gives him a fond smile. Natasha suddenly _knows_ that this isn’t something she’s supposed to see. In fact, she doubts that either of them even know she’s there, which brings a warm feeling to her heart to know that Bucky feels safe enough around her that he hadn’t recognized her presence in the kitchen as soon as he walked in.

“Unless you don’t want coffee?” Bucky asks, continuing his earlier thought. “You ready to go to bed, doll?”

Tony mumbles something else that Natasha doesn’t quite manage to pick up.

Bucky must though because he nods and says, “But you already finished everything you needed to get done. Right now, you’re just working on extra projects, right?”

Tony nods.

“So is there any reason you have to get them done this instant?”

A hesitation and then, “No.”

“So don’t you think you should get some sleep?”

Another “No,” this time petulant.

Bucky chuckles warmly. “Not even if I lay down with you?”

“…Maybe.”

“I’ll take it.” And with that, he bends down and picks Tony up, who promptly clings to him like a limpet as Bucky sets off for the elevator again.

Natasha is once more left alone in the kitchen. She takes another sip of her tea, starting to go cold now, and decides to say nothing about what she just saw. After all, it wasn’t meant for her.


End file.
